Hesitation
by millieofmunich
Summary: A short story that came to me at random while reading Uncanny X-Men #221-222. I don't know where I get my ideas… I totally forgot I wrote this! About a year ago, I guess. Since I haven't really written anything on here yet, I guess I'll just publish it here! Just something cute I wrote to pass the time!


Harpoon sat under a tree and stared at the horizon. The sun would be setting soon, and another day would cease from existence. Not that the next day would be any different. With the Marauders' luck, Sinister would send them out on another killing spree while he finished cloning their dead teammates from the massacre of the mutant Morlocks.

Their last mission had been the execution of Madelyne Pryor, but that didn't end so well. The X-Men just had to show up to save her life. Not only that, but they also discovered that their friend, Polaris, had been possessed by Malice. When next the teams collided, they'd probably focus on snapping Polaris out of her bewitched state; and when that happened, she could use her powers to wipe all the Marauders out, and most likely keep them that way.

Ever since she gained her consciousness briefly in their last encounter with the X-Men, Harpoon noticed a change, not in Polaris, but in Malice. She'd been acting harder on the team, even to the point of punishing her stolen body for fighting back by injuring herself or sending telepathic jolts that would probably leave nasty effects on Polaris' brain if she continued to do it. As the leader of the Marauders, Malice decided to make Polaris an example of what happens when someone gets any funny ideas about leaving the team.

Malice was often confident about herself, knowing fully well that no one could break free of her enchantment. But now she was not so sure about that. If Polaris could snap out of it long enough to realize that she had been possessed, then there was no telling how long it would take before she could rip off the necklace that kept Malice's charm in effect.

In truth, Harpoon didn't like Malice one bit. He agreed with Scalphunter's methods of leading more than Malice's. But he knew that standing up to her and admitting his opinions would most likely result in a quick and painful death; like Riptide's death in the Morlock tunnels. Harpoon almost shivered at the memory of that mission. Running from the fight was the last thing he wanted to do, and hearing the echo of the sickening crack of his teammate's neck was a sound that would stick with him for the rest of his life, and many more lives to come. The clone of Riptide was taking longer than expected to develop, according to Sinister.

Malice can't be cloned, Harpoon thought to himself, a small smirk forming on his lips. He knew that it was a death wish to even think that. But Malice wasn't around to pick up his thoughts. With our luck, the X-Men will finally be rid of her if we ever encounter again.

Harpoon slung his quiver off his shoulder. The sudden change in weight made him feel like he had no worries left in the world. It felt like he wasn'tcarrying the world on his back. Although, a quiver full of harpoons felt just as heavy to him. Sighing, he pulled out a spear and examined it, not exactly sure what he was looking for in it. Harpoons were easy to carry and could cause a significant amount of damage when they hit their targets. Kind of like Polaris, he thought suddenly. To Malice, she's easy to carry and can cause an immense amount of damage when unleashed.

That impressed Harpoon…just a little. That's something he never thought he'd feel; a fascination for an X-Man. She was about as powerful as Magneto, the mutant terrorist the Marauders had learned about since the start of their first mission. She was probably the strongest of the Marauders, and as an alpha-mutant, she was almost god-like. Maybe she could find a way to be rid herself of Malice. She didn't seem that vulnerable to the daily punishments. At least, it didn't seem like she was vulnerable.

She must be smarter than this, Harpoon's mind exclaimed, the thought of an alpha-mutant allowing herself to be possessed and open to attacks suddenly surprising him. Sure, Malice can easily possess her again if she gets a hold of herself, but wouldn't—?"

"Ahem."

Startled, Harpoon whirled around on his feet in the blink of an eye, pointing his spear at the fat tree trunk. No one was behind him—of course they weren't! Why would there be when he was leaning against the trunk just a moment ago? And why would the tree talk in the first place?

"Up here, Marauder!"

It came from above. A figure lounged belly-first on a heavy branch. Harpoon instantly recognized the person, and tried to hide his previous thoughts as quickly as he could. How long has Malice been up there?

The possessed body of Lorna Dane smiled greedily at the young Marauder with stunning dark-red lips. She was wearing her usual Marauder getup, her necklace and mask included, however she had straightened her hair instead of keeping it in her usual odd frizzled style. Squinting down at him, she kicked one long leg up in the air and rested her chin on the palm of her hand. "Come here often?" she asked, her question followed by a giggle.

Harpoon stood up straighter, not loosening his grip on his sharp weapon. "What are you doing out here?" her asked her.

"The sunsets are so beautiful this time of year," she responded with a hint of sarcasm Harpoon had failed to pick up on at first. "I thought I'd come out and ask you to share some of it with me."

Harpoon wasn't sure how to respond to that. He was concentrating on how perfect her balance was. She was most likely floating above the branch, but he couldn't tell from where he was standing.

Malice suddenly cackled, her mouth growing wider as she laughed loudly. Harpoon was irritated by this. "What's so funny?"

"You," she laughed, waving a teasing finger at him from the branch. "The fact that you're trying to hide your thoughts from me…is the most pathetic thing I've ever seen!" She continued to laugh, and Harpoon continued to stare. He really couldn't hide his thoughts from her. Oh well. It was worth a shot.

Her laughter died down, and she fixed herself into a sitting position. "Don't feel bad, hon. You tried your best and I'm proud of you. And I know a little someone who would be just as proud, if—y'know—she could hear us right now."

Harpoon kept a stern expression as the female's legs dangled from the branch, swinging back and forth to a slow beat. "Are you toying with me, Malice?" he asked in a warning voice.

She grinned, pushing herself off the branch and gliding down smoothly to the grass. "Maybe. Tell me something, Kodiak—"

Time seemed to stop for Harpoon. He disliked Malice even more at this moment, not because she called him by his first name, which he preferred not to be called by, but because she was playing the guessing game with him. He couldn't recall ever telling Malice his name, but she could have been reading his mind. And the more she dug in there, the more she was going to play this game. He wasn't sure how much of it he could possibly take before he'd throw his spear at her forehead.

"—are you okay with me messing with your personal life?"

Harpoon suddenly had the urge to start backing away, but she was already taking steps closer. "Absolutely not." What does she mean by that?

"Oh, okay. Well then, why are you so interested in Polaris'?"

"What-?"

"See, I'm not stupid. And neither is she. So, if you're trying to catch me off guard with your insults towards my powers and how I use them—"

Now Harpoon finally got the courage to take a giant step forward, standing at almost the exact same eye level as Polaris. "When did I ever give you the slightest sign that I was trying to distract you?"

She tilted her head a little, like she was trying to read his eyes instead of his mind. "The second you hesitated to kill Lorna Dane."

There was a pause between the two of them. Harpoon wasn't prepared to hear what she had to say, but given where the conversation had suddenly turned, he should have seen it coming.

"That day we were supposed to kill that Pryor girl, little Lorna took control over herself just as you decided to show up. You know she would've destroyed you all if I hadn't gotten a grip on her. Killing her would have been the best way to make sure our plan went accordingly. But you didn't dare take that harpoon out until I took control. You could have ended the lives of the X-Men and Polaris while I was distracted."

Harpoon snarled at her. "I would have killed you too, had I ended Lorna's life."

"Oh, Kodi," she sighed, her ghostly green eyes staring deep into his brown ones, "don't try to defend yourself in front of your leader. I can see right through you. Hell, I could take over you if I really wanted to. But the fact is…you spared Polaris. You spared an X-Man."

Malice suddenly grinned a Riptide-like grin from ear-to-ear. "And I know why."

She had stopped there, keeping that smile for a few seconds before she ticked slightly. Her grin started to slowly fade and her eyes darkened to their natural color. For some reason, she had almost lost her balance. Harpoon was quick to catch her from falling, placing his hand on her back as support. He didn't care if Malice fell, really. If she had fainted, it would have been just enough to make him laugh out loud.

Except that this was not Malice.

Lorna Dane's eyes had regained their natural color, and they darted around desperately as she tried to determine her current location. She seemed to be at a loss for words when her eyes suddenly met Harpoon's once again, this time as herself. He was beginning to feel the same way. He noticed her confused expression and didn't know what to think. He wanted to say something, but at any moment, she could scream and ensnare him in anything metal she could find—like his harpoons! But like her, he couldn't get any words out. There was nothing to say in this awkward little staring contest.

When her hair was straight, it was long; longer than he had imagined it to be. Harpoon felt the silkiness of her green locks under his palm as he continued to support her balance. Her breathing was heavy, and he could feel her spine shiver as he thought that she might just know who it was she was looking at. This must look so confusing from her perspective, he thought calmly. It's probably like waking up from a black out. I can't imagine what else. Her eyes are green and not as milky as they were before—Malice lost her grip again. Suddenly, his mind seemed to amble off from the thought of Malice. Another odd part of his mind triggered something he had never thought about with any woman in his past or present.

I've never seen such green eyes in a girl. Never.

Polaris suddenly pulled away, jolting as the choker around her neck glowed red for a second. Blinking twice, Harpoon saw the color fade and the ugliness of Malice return to the former X-Man.

Malice looked directly in Harpoon's eyes again, but not in the way that Polaris did just moments before. "You failed again, Harpoon," she said in a motherly voice. Without looking back at him, Malice headed back to base towards the orange sky.

As soon as she was out of view, Harpoon felt a sudden tugging pain in his stomach. "Maybe she's right about something," it said to him. But Harpoon didn't want to listen to it. He didn't want to admit to his own gut that he really couldn't kill Lorna, even if it was under orders.

Lorna. Lorna. He repeated the name a few times, hoping to block it out once it became a tiring thought. But all it did was get the name stuck in his head.

But it was a nice name, unlike Malice. The word 'malice' meant hatred, resentment, bitterness. The name Lorna sounded like a victory over that word.


End file.
